Write the Villains as Heroes to Open Philosophical Paths

Here’s a short thought on antagonistic characters.

How might your villains view themselves in the story’s world, apart from hero/heroine biases?

In my light novel series, the villains are interested in psychology and the mind, tying into major plot points further down the road. They’re also part of a neutral party, not taking sides in the wars and commotions of the spheres and the School of Reasoning.

Yet, they test and provoke the main characters as the books go on.

Analyzing the party’s mind and psyche is something the Nine Golden Masks do throughout the narrative, in service of the Euphonious Phoenixes, for reasons beyond understanding.

Are they doing something wonderful for the world, but the party of heroes doesn’t see it that way? Are the heroes in the story able to be seen as villains and might the enemy have a well-rounded point to make that the reader might subtly agree with?

These are the best villains, in my opinion. Someone who will make you question whether the hero/heroine is right as they walk their path.

Take it a step further by making the enemy do good for the world, clashing with others as a natural result of different paths.

Let’s say the character is a vigilante, believing in their own form of ultimate justice for the wicked. And maybe an antagonist thwarts them by sticking to the law as much as they are able, being the true hero from a normal perspective.

Not a story often done in the regular formulas (unless the main character is an antihero) so it’s something the author might experiment with in their story.

The best conflict comes from opposing paths and goals that don’t mesh. Or, taking it a step further, the villains and hero might have the same goals and go about it in two super separate ways.

Write them as people with sick siblings, people earning money for the poor, or doing something noble for their hometown, and you’ve got some questions brewing in the readers’ heads.

Make the villains as loveable as your protagonists, with a philosophy that makes so much sense you’d almost be a fool not to go along with it, and you’ve got interesting situations and dilemmas to solve.

If the villains and heroes clash, resulting in the deaths of thousands because the main characters got in the villain’s way as they were doing something good for that area of the world, you’ll have even further conflict as the world sees the protagonists as something to be feared alongside the villains, or the script might flip completely.

These are just a few musings on making villains that stick with people using methods you’d normally use for a protagonist.